Our History of Innovation

Explore centuries of engineering breakthroughs by TE Connectivity

1794

ROPES – FORERUNNEROF CABLES

TE's Rochester Wire & Cable product line (formerly the Rochester Corporation) makes ropes from manila and other fibers. Innovations led to the manufacture of steel ropes in the 1900s. Today, TE designs and manufactures a wide range of cables, including electro-optical cables, for a vast array of applications.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE RELAYS

Elbert Potter and Richard Brumfield build a relay for their timer control device, using better contact geometry and contact wiping action to dramatically improve performance. Today, TE's Potter & Brumfield product line includes many different types of relays as well as circuit breakers.

CRIMPING TECHNOLOGY

Before AMP becomes part of TE, the company's engineers use a mechanical crimp process to create the solder-less electrical terminal that revolutionizes electrical connections. Repeatable, consistent termination and increased productivity have arrived.

RADIATION CHEMISTRY

Paul Cook, founder of Raychem, a core product line for TE, develops a way to use precisely controlled radiation to produce wire insulation materials. An early achievement: the first successful use of a high-energy electron accelerator in a production setting. Now polymers are stronger, resist abrasion and perform better in high temperatures. These breakthroughs pave the way for future technologies such as PolySwitch PPTC devices.

SLOTTED BEAM TERMINATION

TE's AMP introduces slotted beam termination (Insulation Displacement Technology) to the telephone industry in the form of the PICABOND splice. This significantly reduced the time required to splice telephone lines in the field by eliminating the need to pre-strip insulated wires and led the way for "Mass Termination" of multiple position connectors. Today, these mass terminated connectors are used in electronic devices ranging from televisions & computers to household appliances and instrumentation.

1954

STRIP TERMINALS

Electrical terminals in a continuous strip form are introduced by TE’s AMP and paired with automatic crimping machines. Production rates increase dramatically.

TRANSATLANTIC TELEPHONE CABLE

The first transatlantic telephone cable system, TAT-1, is created. It supports 36 analog telephone circuits simultaneously and does not experience a single component failure in the two decades it operates. TE's Subsea Communications business is part of that success and, in the subsequent years, lays enough fiber-optic cable on the ocean floor to circle the earth 12 times.

HEAT-SHRINK TUBING

Innovative heat-shrink tubing is first offered by Raychem. Made of thermoplastic material, heat-shrink is used to insulate wires and provide abrasion resistance. Now conductors, connections, joints and terminals are protected from harsh environments. TE continues to be a leader in heat-shrink tubing through its Raychem technology.

COAXIAL ANALOG CABLE

With the founding of Western Electric's Inc.'s special-purpose undersea repeater factory, coaxial analog cable systems are poised for growth. Working with TE (through its predecessor companies) and AT&T Bell Labs, they invent and implement SD analog technology enabling bi-directional transmissions for increased bandwidth. The third transatlantic telephone cable, TAT-3, allows simultaneous transmission of 148 circuits. Over the next two decades, the frequency spectrum expands with SF coaxial cable supporting 845 circuits used in the TAT-5, and SG coaxial cable supporting 4,000 circuits, used in TAT-6 and TAT-7.

KILOVAC HIGH-VOLTAGERELAY

The age-old art of glass blowing is used to produce our KILOVAC high-voltage relays. To this day, skilled glass blowers are used to make hermetically sealed relays for defibrillators, the space station and other applications where reliability is critical.

FIBER-OPTIC CONNECTOR

The first fiber-optic connector is introduced under the AMP name. The ingenious design features the first use of a plastic ferrule to precisely position the fiber in the connector. Less fiber breakage, lower cost.

SUBSCRIBER LINE INTERFACE

ULTRA-MINI COAXIALS

A new standard in ultra-miniature coaxial cable is achieved by our Precision Interconnect line. Dozens of cables can now be bundled in highly flexible assemblies, leading to the sonogram and other diagnostic procedures.

DIGITAL CROSS-CONNECT SYSTEM

Before ADC became part of TE, it launched the revolutionary DSX digital cross-connect system to handle the growing demands of telecommunications networks without time-consuming manual processes. This leads to lower costs and greater flexibility.

1985

1988

TRANSATLANTIC FIBER OPTICS

TE's Subsea Communications business installs the first fiber-optical system in the Canary Islands and, in 1988, the first transatlantic fiber-optical voice-and-data-transmission system.

LASER-PULSED FIBER OPTICS

TE installs the first successful transoceanic fiber-optic transmission using laser-pulsed light with a wavelength of 1.5 micros. By increasing usable bandwidth, the door opens to higher-capacity transmissions. In 1992, TE invents the all-optical amplifier for the SL2000 system, eliminating signal bottlenecks and allowing significantly more data to be transmitted on a single optical fiber.

TRANSOCEANIC IP PACKET TRANSPORT

TE has been optimizing DWDM-optically-amplified systems to now operate from 10 to 100 gigabits-per-second. The company has dramatically increased its capabilities to transmit up to 150 wavelengths per fiber pair. Coupled with the capability to install systems with 8 fiber pairs, the total capacity of a system can now reach 120 terabits.

COMPACT FIBER-OPTIC CONNECTOR

TE develops the first fiber-optic connector with 72 fibers in a single compact housing — previously thought impossible by industry engineers. It's a marvel of engineering not much larger than our original single-fiber connector.

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

As mobile devices and the Internet of Things take off, TE is at the forefront of the growth of advanced sensor technology. Today, TE sensors are developed for a range of industries including medical devices, industrial equipment, automotive and consumer products.

SPACE-WORTHY RELAY

For the Mars Rover Curiosity, NASA needs a compact, lightweight relay to withstand the harsh Martian environment. Reliability is necessary because repair is impossible. TE partners with NASA to develop a 5,000-volt device that switches 35 amps — amazing power in a switch no bigger than a roll of dimes.

CONNECTING IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

TE's DEUTSCH product line is added, including wires, connectors, contacts and accessories that perform in the harshest environments in the world. Applications include defense, marine, industrial, transportation and aerospace.

MINIATURIZED VEHICLE CONNECTORS

With more and more electronics in cars, there’s a need for smaller components. TE develops the NanoMQS line of terminals and connectors to meet that challenge by dramatically reducing the footprint on the printed circuit board while providing resistance to vibration.

LEADER IN SENSOR SOLUTIONS

Through our acquisition of Measurement Specialties and American Sensor Technologies, TE expands its sensor technologies and offers the broadest range of sensor and connectivity solutions — from pressure, position, force and vibration to temperature and humidity.